The green gauge

· When Ma Yanjun of China wanted his mother to have a hot shower he made a solar panel from empty beer bottles and hosepipe, inspiring other villagers to do the same.

· Jane Shepherdson, brand director and the architect of Topshop's success, has gone eco. She will now work her magic with ethical brand People Tree. Watch this wardrobe space...

· It is about time we had a green pope. The installation of solar panels on the Paul VI auditorium in the Vatican will help. When the 6,000-seat hall is not in use, the surplus energy will feed the Vatican.

Going down

· Canada is set to fail Kyoto targets thanks to proposed expansion of its oil sands resources. CO2 emissions generated by oil sand production (two tonnes of oil sands must be processed to produce one barrel of oil) will double by 2010. They need to be halved.

· The Taj Mahal is turning yellow according to an Indian parliamentary committee. Despite efforts to monitor air quality, pollution is to blame.

· The symbolic switch-off planned during the Live Earth concerts on 7 July has been abandoned by the National Grid on the grounds that it might disrupt electricity supplies. Presumably that was kind of the point...